Conversion of a sequence of m-bit information words into a modulated signal

1. An apparatus for converting a sequence of m-bit information words into a modulated digital signal, where m is an integer, the apparatus comprising input means for receiving the sequence of m-bit information words, m-to-n bit converter means for converting the sequence of m-bit information words into a sequence of n-bit codewords, where n is an integer larger than m, the sequence of codewords forming the modulated signal, which signal comprises bit cells having a first signal value and bit cells having a second signal value, determining means for determining a coding state related to a digital sum value at the end of a modulated signal portion, which digital sum value denotes for said modulated signal portion a running value of a difference between the number of bit cells having the first signal value and the number of bit cells having the second signal value, the m-to-n bit converter means comprising selection means for selecting for the conversion a code word from a set of codewords that depends on the coding state, at least one of the digital sum values determining a first and a second coding state, the first and second coding state being determined in response to the information word that corresponds to the previous codeword, wherein the apparatus is adapted to form a modulated signal satisfying the requirement that the number of consecutive bit cells in the modulated signal having the same signal value does not exceed 7.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein n is odd and equals m+1.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein m is equal to 8 and n is equal to 9.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the apparatus further comprising sync word generator means for generating a sync word for a block of p consecutive code words in the modulated signal, the sync word generator means being adapted to generate said sync word from the following set of available sync words: 11100011111110, 10100011111110, 01100011111110 and 11000100000001, the sync word generator means being adapted to select one of the sync words in dependence upon the coding state.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the apparatus further comprising sync word generator means for generating a sync word for a block of p consecutive code words in the modulated signal, the sync word generator means being adapted to generate said sync word from the following set of available sync words: 11100011111110, 10100011111110, 01100011111110, 11000100000001, 01011100000001, 10011100000001, and 00011100000001 the sync word generator means being adapted to select one of the sync words in dependence upon the coding state.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, the sync word generator means being adapted to generate the following sync words: TBL ______________________________________ 1 11100011111110 6 2 10100011111110 6 3 01100011111110 6 4 01011100000001 1 5 10011100000001 1 6 00011100000001 1 7 11000100000001 1 ______________________________________ where the value in the first column indicates the coding state after having converted the information word directly preceding the sync word to be added, the bit sequence in the second column indicates the sync word generated in response to said coding state and the value in the third column indicates the coding state required to obtain the codeword directly following the sync word.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sync words generated present bit patterns that cannot occur in the bit sequence of the codewords.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sets of code words belonging to each pair of coding states of the first type are disjunct.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sets of code words belonging to the pairs of coding states of the first type are mutually distinguishable based upon the logical values of bits on p predefined positions in the code words, where p is an integer smaller than or equal to n.

10. A recording apparatus for recording a modulated signal in a track on a record carrier, comprising a conversion apparatus for converting a sequence of m-bit information words into a modulated digital signal, where m is an integer, the apparatus comprising input means (61) for receiving the sequence of m-bit information words, m-to-n bit converter means (60) for converting the sequence of m-bit information words into a sequence of n-bit codewords, where n is an integer larger than m, the sequence of codewords forming the modulated signal, which signal comprises bit cells having a first signal value and bit cells having a second signal value, determining means (60,64,77) for determining a coding state related to a digital sum value at the end of a modulated signal portion, which digital sum value denotes for said modulated signal portion a running value of a difference between the number of bit cells having the first signal value and the number of bit cells having the second signal value, the m-to-n bit converter means comprising selection means for selecting for the conversion a code word from a set of codewords that depends on the coding state (63), at least one of the digital sum values determining a first and a second coding state, the first and second coding state being determined in response to the information word that corresponds to the previous codeword, wherein the conversion apparatus is adapted to form a modulated signal satisfying the requirement that the number of consecutive bit cells in the modulated signal having the same signal value does not exceed 7, said apparatus further comprising writing means for writing the modulated signal in said track on the record carrier.

11. A method for converting a sequence of m-bit information words into a modulated digital signal, where m is an integer, the method comprising the steps of receiving the sequence of m-bit information words, converting the sequence of m-bit information words into a sequence of n-bit codewords, where n is an integer larger than m, the sequence of codewords forming the modulated signal, which signal comprises bit cells having a first signal value and bit cells having a second signal value, determining a coding state related to a digital sum value at the end of a modulated signal portion, which digital sum value denotes for said modulated signal portion a running value of a difference between the number of bit cells having the first signal value and the number of bit cells having the second signal value, the converter step comprising the substep of selecting for the conversion a code word from a set of codewords that depends on the coding state (63), at least one of the digital sum values determining a first and a second coding state, the first and second coding state being determined in response to the information word that corresponds to the previous codeword, wherein the modulated signal satisfies the requirement that the number of consecutive bit cells in the modulated signal having the same signal value does not exceed 7.

12. A record carrier obtained with the recording apparatus as claimed in claim 10.

13. An apparatus for reconverting a modulated signal into a sequence of m-bit information words, where m is an integer, the apparatus comprising input means for receiving the modulated signal comprising a sequence of n bit codewords, n-to-m bit converter means for converting the sequence of n-bit codewords into a sequence of m-bit information words by assigning an information word to a codeword to be converted in dependence of said codeword to be converted, where n is an integer larger than m, the converter means being adapted to assign the information word to a codeword in dependence of the logical values of the bits in the bitstring which are situated at p predefined positions with respect to the corresponding codeword, and where the modulated signal satisfies the requirement that the number of consecutive bit cells in the modulated signal having the same signal value does not exceed 7.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the apparatus comprises sync word detector means for detecting sync words present in the modulated signal having the following bit patterns: 11100011111110, 10100011111110, 01100011111110, and 11000100000001.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the apparatus comprises sync word detector means for detecting sync words present in the modulated signal having the following bit patterns: 11100011111110, 10100011111110, 01100011111110, 11000100000001, 01011100000001, 10011100000001, and 00011100000001.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sync words generated present bit patterns that cannot occur in the bit sequence of the codewords.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sets of code words belonging to each pair of coding states of the first type are disjunct.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sets of code words belonging to each pair of coding states of the first type are disjunct.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the sets of code words belonging to the pairs of coding states of the first type are mutually distinguishable based upon the logical values of bits on p predefined positions in the code words, where p is an integer smaller than or equal to n.